Adding chords to a melody

[Joseph4325]

I don't really know the best way to word what i'm trying to ask, but in alot of guitar/bass arrangements when playing a melody line occasionally i'll see someone play a chord along with it. So for example in "Let it Snow" you might play a single note of the melody for the "Let" and "it", and then the "snow" would be voiced as a chord. My question is what is the thought process for choosing a chord there. The only thing i can tell is that you want the melody note to be the highest voiced.

[MalcolmAmos]

Wow good question. Where to start. Why a chord for "snow". Chord melody perhaps. That's a story in itself.
Check out the video on harmonizing Mary had a little lamb and see if that gets you any closer to understanding harmonization and how melody and chords work together. Simple Melody Harmonization (Keyboard Tut. #8) - YouTube


For the melody line and the chord line to harmonize (sound good) together both lines should share some of the same notes.

Why is it necessary to change chords in a song? When the melody moves on to notes not found in the old chord your ear tells you that the song is not harmonizing and it is now necessary to find a new chord that does contain some of the new melody notes.

Did that help?

[Joseph4325]

The video helped alot. Thanks!

[Johannes Oehl]

Maybe this will help you.

Take a common melody like this:

http://soundcloud.com/johannesoehl/orig

Now you try to add some chords. The most used chords are the I and V chord of your tune, in this case Cmajor and Gmajor.

http://soundcloud.com/johannesoehl/am-c

What I did is this:

Cmaj most of the time. The melodyline "e-f#-g" is played over a Gmaj chord (you got a G6, Gmaj7, Gmaj progression).

Then Cmaj, becoming a C9 and Cmaj7 within the progression (e-d-c-b).

The "a-b" is played over Am/Am9, the rest with Cmaj.

Yet another idea:

http://soundcloud.com/johannesoehl/am-g7

The tune now starts with an Am chord instead of the Cmaj. The rest of the first half is like the example you heard before.

The melodline "e-d-c" is played over a Cmaj, the "b" is played over a G7. The following "a" and "b" are also played over a Gmaj chord. The last bars are all Cmaj.

[MalcolmAmos]

A thought unloosened......

Adding another chord - which one?
One that will harmonize with the melody being played at this specific part of the song. Which ones will harmonize? One that has some of the melody notes in it's makup.

If you are trying to harmonize a melody note that is the ........

• 1 degree of the scale try I, IV, vi or ii7 chords of that key, as they will have the 1st degree note in their makeup. Thus will harmonize. If you are trying to harmonize the 2 degree ............
• 2 degree of the scale try V, ii7, iii7 chords of that key.
• 3 degree of the scale try I, vi, iii chords of that key.
• 4 degree of the scale try IV, ii, v7 chords of that key.
• 5 degree of the scale try V, I, iii chords of that key.
• 6 degree of the scale try IV, ii, vi chords of that key.
• 7 degree of the scale try V7, iii, Imaj7 chords of that key.

Look at all the choices you have. Another thing to keep in mind.....

• I tonic can move anywhere within the key. When you insert the I chord you resolve all the tension you have built up, do you want to loose all that tension and resolve back to rest. If so go ahead, if not think again.
• ii is one of the sub-dominant chords and likes to move to a dominant chord. It likes to go there, but, it's your song you do not have to let it. Good things happen when you do, but, again it's your song.
• iii likes to lead somewhere, i.e. iii-vi-ii-V7-I. The iii likes to drag the vi with it.
• IV is the other sub-dominant chord and likes to move to a dominant chord. The ii and IV can sub for each other as they both want the same thing.
• V is a dominant chord and likes to move to the tonic. The V7 wants to get there RIGHT NOW.
• vi likes to move to a sub dominant chord (ii or IV)
• viidim is also a dominant chord so the V and viidim can sub for each other. The V and V7 want to move to the tonic quickly, however the viidim likes to get to the tonic, but, will take a more leisurely rout as viidim-iii-vi-ii-V7-I.
• If we let them do this things usually work out for the best.

One last thing. Take the circle of 5th and lay it out in a straight line, starting down the left hand side. Looking for a chord to use before the E chord. What chord in the circle leads to the E? One of the B's would be a good candidate. B, Bmaj7, Bm, Bm7, Bm7b5, etc. Which ever one fits in the best.




Have fun.

[Warfender]

subbed

[darius8]

Originally Posted by MalcolmAmos

Check out the video on harmonizing Mary had a little lamb and see if that gets you any closer to understanding harmonization and how melody and chords work together. Simple Melody Harmonization (Keyboard Tut. #8) - YouTube

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Good video!!

[jmattbassplaya]

Originally Posted by darius8

Good video!!

Great video! Very informative for those looking at trying out song writing.

[Snarf]

Originally Posted by Joseph4325

I don't really know the best way to word what i'm trying to ask, but in alot of guitar/bass arrangements when playing a melody line occasionally i'll see someone play a chord along with it. So for example in "Let it Snow" you might play a single note of the melody for the "Let" and "it", and then the "snow" would be voiced as a chord. My question is what is the thought process for choosing a chord there. The only thing i can tell is that you want the melody note to be the highest voiced.

You can have a melody lower in the voicing, there's no rule against that.

What you're talking about is something that guitar and piano players would do. So they're not playing a chord against the first two notes in that phrase, but then playing a chord simultaneously with the third note. But given that the whole melody itself implies a key and can suggest the basic chord structure, the chord played on the third melody note isn't so much the introduction of an otherwise absent harmony, it's just a rhythmic punctuation to accent the melody. So rather than being a more complex harmonic consideration, it's just a matter of phrasing.

[Kobaia]

I have an article next month in BMM that is exactly about this subject.